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The Big Pharma Takeover of Medical Cannabis

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The Big Pharma Takeover of Medical Cannabis

As evidence of cannabis’ many benefits mounts, so does the interest from the global pharmaceutical industry, known as Big Pharma. The entrance of such behemoths will radically transform the cannabis industry—once heavily stigmatized, it is now a potentially game-changing source of growth for countless companies.

Today’s infographic comes to us from CB2 Insights, and explores how and why the notorious Big Pharma are interested in the nascent cannabis industry.

Who are “Big Pharma”?

The term refers to some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, considered especially influential as a group. To give a sense of their sheer size, the market cap of the top 10 Big Pharma companies is $1.7 trillion—Johnson & Johnson being the largest, with a market capitalization of $374 billion.

So far, Big Pharma has watched the cannabis industry from the sidelines, deterred by regulatory concerns. What we are seeing now is the sleeping giant’s takeover slowly intensifying as more patents, partnerships, and sponsored clinical trials come to fruition.

Could Cannabis be Sold Over the Counter?

The cannabis plant has been used in medicine for 6,000 years. However, there is still considerable debate around the role it plays in healthcare today. There are currently almost 400 active and completed clinical trials worldwide surrounding cannabidiol (CBD), a type of cannabinoid that makes up 40% of the cannabis plant’s extract.

Cannabis relies on CBD’s therapeutic properties, and recent studies suggest it may be useful in combating a variety of health conditions, such as:

  • Epilepsy
  • Schizophrenia
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Migraines
  • Arthritis
  • Cancer side effects

As of 2019, 33 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical use. Its potential for pain management has led some experts to recommend it as an alternative to addictive painkillers, with one study of 13 states showing opiate-related deaths decreasing by over 33% in the six years since medical cannabis was legalized.

As the industry evolves, data is becoming increasingly important in understanding the potential of cannabis—both as a viable medical treatment, and as a recreational product. The shift away from anecdotal evidence towards big data will inform future policies, and give rise to a new era of consumer education.

Big Pharma’s Foray into Cannabis

Further legalization of cannabis will challenge Big Pharma’s bottom line, and poach more than $4 billion from pharma sales annually. In fact, medical cannabis sales are projected to reach $5.9 billion in 2019, from an estimated 24 million patients.

Seven of Canada’s top 10 cannabis patent holders are major multinational pharmaceutical companies, a trend that is not unique to Canada.

Company Rank🇨🇦 Canadian PatentsCompany Rank🇺🇸 U.S. Patents
1. Novartis211. Abbvie59
2. Pfizer142. Sanofie39
3. GW Pharmaceuticals133. Merck35
4. Ericsson134. Bristol-Myers Squibb34
5. Merck115. GW Pharmaceuticals28
6. Solvay Pharmaceuticals76. Pfizer25
7. Kao Corporation77. Hebrew University of Jerusalem19
8. Ogeda SA78. Roche17
9. Sanofi69. University of Connecticut16
10. University of Connecticut610. U.S. Health and Human Services13

It comes as no surprise that many pharmaceutical giants have already formed strong partnerships with cannabis companies, such as Novartis and Tilray, who will develop and distribute medical cannabis together in legal jurisdictions around the world.

Data is the Missing Link

While the body of knowledge about the many uses of cannabis continue to grow, clinical evidence is key for widespread adoption.

Products backed by data will be a defining criteria for major companies to come into the market en masse. And ultimately, Big Pharma’s entry could accelerate public understanding and confidence in cannabis as a viable option for a range of ailments, and mark the next major milestone for the industry.

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Economy

The Most Valuable Companies in Major EU Economies

From semiconductor equipment manufacturers to supercar makers, the EU’s most valuable companies run the gamut of industries.

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A cropped map of the most valuable company in every major EU economy, by their market capitalization on April 15th, 2024. Data is in current USD.

Most Valuable Companies in the EU, by Country

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

In this graphic, we mapped out the most valuable corporations in 11 major EU economies, based on their market capitalizations as of April 15th, 2024. All figures are in USD, and were sourced from Companiesmarketcap.com.

Novo Nordisk is currently worth more than $550 billion, making it Europe’s most valuable company by a wide margin. The pharmaceutical giant specializes in diabetes and weight-loss drugs. Demand for two of them, Ozempic and Wegovy, has surged due to their weight-loss capabilities, even causing nationwide shortages in the United States.

The following table includes an expanded list of the most valuable publicly-traded company in larger EU economies. Many of these were not included in the graphic due to space limitations.

CountryCompanySectorMarket Cap
🇩🇰 Denmark💊 Novo NordiskPharmaceuticals$562B
🇫🇷 France👜 LVMHLuxury Goods$422B
🇳🇱 Netherlands🔧 ASMLSemiconductor Equipment$382B
🇩🇪 Germany💼 SAPEnterprise Software$214B
🇮🇪 Ireland🖥️ AccentureIT Services$197B
🇪🇸 Spain👗 InditexRetail$147B
🇧🇪 Belgium🍻 Anheuser-Busch InBevBeverages$116B
🇸🇪 Sweden🛠️ Atlas CopcoIndustrial Equipment$80B
🇮🇹 Italy🏎️ FerrariAutomotive$76B
🇫🇮 Finland🏦 Nordea BankBanking$40B
🇦🇹 Austria🔌 Verbund AGEnergy$26B
🇱🇺 Luxembourg🏗️ TenarisOil & Gas Equipment$22B
🇨🇿 Czech Republic💡 CEZ GroupEnergy$20B
🇵🇱 Poland⛽ PKN OrlenEnergy$20B
🇵🇹 Portugal🔌 EDP GroupEnergy$16B
🇬🇷 Greece🏦 EurobankBanking$7B
🇭🇺 Hungary⛽ MOL GroupEnergy$7B
🇭🇷 Croatia🏦 Zagrebacka BankaBanking$6B
🇷🇴 Romania⛽ RomgazEnergy$4B
🇸🇮 Slovenia💊 KrkaPharmaceuticals$4B

Note: Figures are rounded and last updated on April 15th, 2024. Countries with top publicly-traded companies worth under $4 billion are excluded.

Luxury supergiant LVMH—which owns brands like Tiffany, Christian Dior, and TAG Heuer to name a few—is Europe’s second largest company by market cap, at $420 billion.

Rounding out the top three is ASML, which produces equipment crucial to chip manufacturers, worth $380 billion.

ℹ️ The 🇬🇧 UK’s most valuable company is Shell ($232B).

When looking at the region, there is a vast disparity between EU member states and their most valuable companies.

For example, as mentioned earlier, Denmark’s Novo Nordisk and France’s LVMH are worth between $400-550 billion each. Meanwhile, some countries don’t even have a single publicly-listed company that is worth over $1 billion.

In fact, only 12 EU countries (less than half of the union) are home to the top 100 most valuable companies within the bloc. An additional four countries are represented if you look at the list of the top 200 companies.

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